05-05-2012, 06:54 AM
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#678
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Austria, NOT Australia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
Leipsic is an interesting guy...
Is there an NHL offense there, or will he just be a scrappy smaller 4th line player.
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he seems to have all the offensive tools, but he sounds like a bit of a project at this point:
Quote:
A product of the Portland program that seems to be churning out high-level NHL talent early year, Leipsic has shown tremendous offensive skill with the Winterhawks. In particular, he seems very adept at using his speed and deceptive strength to make life miserable for the opposition, especially on the power-play – this past season he boasted 10 power-play markers.
That said, Leipsic is still limited by a few factors. Most primarily, his size. He’s charitably listed by the WHL as 5-9 (NHL Central Scouting says he’s a half-inch shorter than that) and he’ll be hard-pressed to put on some size, lest he be crushed by big league blueliners. In addition, he’s had issues with consistency. As seen this season, he’ll sometimes go games (even weeks) without hitting the score-sheet. Then he’ll have a multi-point game and go silent for another game or two.
When Leipsic is playing his game to the best of his ability, though, he’s an asset to his club. He’s energetic, hitting everything that moves and providing space for his teammates to work. However, on occasion he can go a bit too far – as evidenced by his suspension this season for a hit on Mackenzie Royer. While his physicality is a pleasant surprise and an asset to his game, he’s got to figure out the time and place to do so, especially if he plans on having a long pro career. It’s unlikely his frame can withstand the constant abuse should he try to jump to the professional ranks without adapting his style a bit.
That said, Leipsic is an intriguing prospect. If he can successfully make the jump, his downside is Scott Nichol and his upside could be much higher. Few of the smaller players in the draft have the offensive skill and speed that he boasts. It’s just a matter of him putting things together.
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http://thehockeywriters.com/brendan-...pects-profile/
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